Critérium des As
# Critérium des As

The Critérium des As (Race of the Aces) was a cycle race that was generally held at the end of the season, with entry by invitation only, for the leading riders of the season. Competitors rode behind pacers on tandems or motorcycles. It was held from 1921 until 1990, mostly in Paris, France but also in Switzerland and Holland. The last Critérium des As was held in 1990 and was replaced by the Roue d'Or des As the following year.

## History

In 1920 the Critérium de la résistance was run from Bordeaux to Paris (Longchamp) and back to Bordeaux, and is regarded as the forerunner of Critérium des As. The 1,208 kilometres (751 mi) paced event was won by Louis Mottiat of Belgium, in 56 hours and 48 minutes.

In 1921 the best riders of the season were invited to enter the Critérium des As, 27 laps of a 3.63 km circuit around Longchamp. They rode alone except for pacers who helped on occasional laps, not being fast enough to last longer.

Crowds of up to 6,000 watched in the years before the World War II. The individual pacers were replaced by tandems, triplets, motorcycles and finally specialist Derny lightweight motorcycles in 1947. René de Latour, a journalist who organised the race in 1943, when the inside of the circuit included flak guns to defend the Renault factory in Boulogne-Billancourt, said:

   The tandems gave more shelter and the race became more and more spectacular. Each of the selected riders had four or five tandems at his disposal, and it was a lovely sight to see the relieving tandem taking over from the 'double' that had just completed its allotted spell. If you talk to the older bike fans, they will tell you regretfully that racing was really beautiful to watch in the days of tandem-pacing and that nothing had ever really replaced them. I must say that I think that way, too." René de Latour

The most prolific winner was Rik Van Steenbergen of Belgium, with five wins.

## Winners

| Year | Location | Winner | Second | Third |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1921 | Longchamp | Philippe Thys | René Vermandel | Henri Pélissier |
| 1922 | Longchamp | René Vermandel | Jean Alavoine | Romain Bellenger |
| 1923 | Longchamp | Jules Van Hevel | Romain Bellenger | Maurice Brocco |
| 1924 | Longchamp | Jules Van Hevel | Heiri Suter | Henri Pélissier |
| 1925 | Longchamp | Achille Souchard | Hector Martin | Romain Bellenger |
| 1926 | Longchamp | Henri Pélissier | Gabriel Marcillac | Charles Lacquehay |
| 1927 | Longchamp | Gabriel Marcillac | Henri Pélissier | Hector Martin |
| 1928 | Longchamp | Charles Lacquehay | Gérard Debaets | Lucien Choury |
| 1929 | Longchamp | Georges Wambst | Armand Blanchonnet | Charles Lacquehay |
| 1930 | Longchamp | Camille Foucaux | Henri Lemoine | André Mouton |
| 1931 | Longchamp | Jean Maréchal | Henri Lemoine | Georges Wambst |
| 1932 | Longchamp | Ernest Terreau | Georges Wambst | Jean Maréchal |
| 1933 | Longchamp | Charles Pélissier | Romain Gijssels | Ernest Terreau |
| 1934 | Longchamp | André Leducq | Charles Pélissier | Julien Moineau |
| 1935 | Longchamp | Ernest Terreau | Edgard De Caluwé | Romain Gijssels |
| 1936 | Longchamp | Ernest Terreau | René Debenne | Maurice Richard |
| 1937 | Longchamp | Georges Paillard | Paul Chocque | Victor Cosson |
| 1938 | Longchamp | Gerrit Schulte | René Debenne | Cesare Moretti Jr. |
| 1939-1942 | No race | No race | No race |
| 1943 | Longchamp | Raoul Lesueur | Joseph Somers | Maurice Clautier |
| 1944-1946 | No race | No race | No race |
| 1947 | Longchamp | Émile Carrara | Émile Idée | Lucien Teisseire |
| 1948 | Longchamp | Rik Van Steenbergen | Apo Lazaridès | Louis Caput |
| 1949 | Longchamp | Louison Bobet | Fausto Coppi | Wim van Est |
| 1950 | Longchamp | Louison Bobet | Stan Ockers | Robert Varnajo |
| 1951 | Longchamp | Hugo Koblet | Rik Van Steenbergen | Louison Bobet |
| 1952 | Longchamp | Rik Van Steenbergen | Louison Bobet | André Darrigade |
| 1953 | Longchamp | Louison Bobet | Stan Ockers | Ferdi Kübler |
| 1954 | Longchamp | Louison Bobet | Jacques Anquetil | Ferdi Kübler |
| 1955 | Longchamp | Rik Van Steenbergen | Miguel Poblet | Stan Ockers |
| 1956 | Longchamp | Bernard Gauthier | Rik Van Steenbergen | Roger Rivière |
| 1957 | Longchamp | Rik Van Steenbergen | André Darrigade | Louison Bobet |
| 1958 | Longchamp | Rik Van Steenbergen | André Darrigade | Raphaël Géminiani |
| 1959 | Longchamp | Jacques Anquetil | Rik Van Steenbergen | Jean Bobet |
| 1960 | Longchamp | Jacques Anquetil | André Darrigade | Rik Van Looy |
| 1961 | Longchamp | Rik Van Looy | Rik Van Steenbergen | André Darrigade |
| 1962 | Longchamp | Rudi Altig | Rik Van Steenbergen | André Darrigade |
| 1963 | Longchamp | Jacques Anquetil | Tom Simpson | Rik Van Looy |
| 1964 | Longchamp | Peter Post | Edward Sels | Jacques Anquetil |
| 1965 | Longchamp | Jacques Anquetil | Jan Janssen | Rudi Altig |
| 1966 | Longchamp | Gerben Karstens | Felice Gimondi | Raymond Poulidor |
| 1967 | Lac Daumesnil | Eddy Merckx | Jacques Anquetil | Felice Gimondi |
| 1968 | Le Havre | Felice Gimondi | Raymond Poulidor | Ole Ritter |
| 1969 | Le Havre | Walter Godefroot | Raymond Delisle | Julien Stevens |
| 1970 | Lac Daumesnil | Eddy Merckx | Herman Van Springel | Lucien Aimar |
| 1971 | No race | No race | No race |
| 1972 | Felletin | Raymond Poulidor | Bernard Thévenet | Walter Godefroot |
| 1973 | Tilburg, NL | Gerben Karstens | Felice Gimondi | Eddy Merckx |
| 1974 | Nogaro | Eddy Merckx | Freddy Maertens | Gerben Karstens |
| 1975 | Belfort | Roger De Vlaeminck | Herman Van Springel | Freddy Maertens |
| 1976 | Valkenburg, NL | Freddy Maertens | Eddy Merckx | Gerben Karstens |
| 1977 | Châteaulin | Francesco Moser | Herman Van Springel | Ronald De Witte |
| 1978 | Orchies | Michel Laurent | Jan Raas | Herman Van Springel |
| 1979 | La Défense | Joop Zoetemelk | Daniel Willems | Bernard Hinault |
| 1980 | La Défense | Joop Zoetemelk | Herman Van Springel | Patrick Hosotte |
| 1981 | La Défense | Daniel Willems | Herman Van Springel | Stephen Roche |
| 1982 | La Défense | Bernard Hinault | Sean Kelly | Alain Bondue |
| 1983 | Genève, Sui | Greg LeMond | Pascal Poisson | Sean Kelly |
| 1984 | Montreuil-sous-Bois | Sean Kelly | Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke | Claude Criquielion |
| 1985 | Montreuil-sous-Bois | Sean Kelly | Eric Vanderaerden | Claude Criquielion |
| 1986 | Montreuil-sous-Bois | Sean Kelly | Adrie van der Poel | Acácio da Silva |
| 1987 | Montreuil-sous-Bois | Charly Mottet | Eric Vanderaerden | Sean Kelly |
| 1988 | Montreuil-sous-Bois | Claude Criquielion | Sean Kelly | Pascal Poisson |
| 1989 | Port Leucate | Laurent Fignon | Sean Kelly | Éric Caritoux |
| 1990 | Lac Daumesnil | Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle | Charly Mottet | Laurent Fignon |
